A very ‘mindful’ choice: This is Dictionary.com’s word of the year

At one point this year, it seemed like you couldn’t go anywhere without hearing someone say something is “very demure.” The popularity of the phrase, which got its start on TikTok, earned “demure” the Dictionary.com word of the year.
Demure was made popular by influencer Jools Lebron, who posted a video about looking presentable at work.
“You see how I do my makeup for work? Very demure, very mindful,” she says in the video.
After Lebron posted her video over the summer, Dictionary.com said there were more than 12 million searches for the word.
“Demure captures this cultural shift with a modern twist: a word that once carried traditional, often limiting connotations has been reimagined to celebrate understated elegance and suavity,” said Steve Johnson, Curriculum Design Manager of the Dictionary Media Group at IXL Learning. “Its evolving meaning gives people a way to express quiet confidence—embracing modesty and charm as intentional, empowering choices.”
The cultural phenomenon was life-changing for Lebron, who has been open about her journey as a trans woman. She has posted about how the viral video has led to endorsement deals and collaborations with major brands.
Demure wasn’t the only word that captured people’s imagination this year. Brat, the title of ‘Charlie XCX’s sixth studio album, also piqued people’s curiosity. The slang interpretation of the word means “someone who is confidently rebellious, unapologetically bold, and playfully defiant.”